Blackhawks loan Jokiharju to Finland for junior championship

CHICAGO -- The last-place Chicago Blackhawks will be without one of their top defensemen for a while after they decided to loan Henri Jokiharju to Finland for the upcoming world junior championship.

The 19-year-old Jokiharju has no goals and 11 assists in 32 games in his first NHL season.

Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton says he thinks the move will help Jokiharju's long-term development. The world junior championship runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Blackhawks also activated forward Artem Anisimov and defenseman Gustav Forsling from injured reserve.

Anisimov had been sidelined by a concussion, and Forsling was out with a shoulder injury.